An audacious new biopic employing artificial intelligence to recreate Russian President Vladimir Putin is headed to the Cannes Film Festival, with distribution plans taking shape for the controversial project.
The film, titled simply "Putin," is the English-language debut of Polish director Patryk Vega, also known as Besaleel. It uses an AI-generated depiction of the Russian leader, created by overlaying Putin's face on a Polish actor through machine learning technology from Vega's company AIO.
Reportedly, "Putin" is a political thriller that portrays the Russian president as a ruthless gangster. It dramatises events from his rise under Boris Yeltsin to the Moscow theater hostage crisis in 2002 and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The filmmakers reportedly shot footage of the Polish actor as Putin, then used AI to replicate Putin's likeness with photorealistic accuracy, showcasing the AI-generated face in the film's trailer.
German distribution company Kinostar is representing the film at the Cannes market after initiating sales at the American Film Market last year. They are seeking distribution partners to release "Putin" theatrically worldwide following its planned Eastern European rollout starting September 26.
The film's reception at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this month will be a key test for the pioneering AI technique and the lines it may push in recreating public figures on screen.
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